


A Season To Remember

by Memequeme



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Band is fun, F/M, I think there will be an identity reveal, This is high level nerd right here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 12:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15685851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memequeme/pseuds/Memequeme
Summary: It's Marinette's second year of marching band and this year's theme is none other than Ladybug and Chat Noir! But will she get to play the solo that's basically dedicated to her superhero persona? Or will she ever gain the love of her life Adrien Agreste without obstacles in the way? An entire season goes by with exciting twists and major character development!





	A Season To Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I haven't written anything in a really long time, but I was just motivated by a good friend of mine to rewrite this AU I had made a little while back. This is a marching band AU, but anyone can read this if they want! I'm excited to write about Marinette the clarinet player and Adrien as a Drum Major, along with some added OCs that are based off of my band friends in real life. I hope you enjoy this story and I apologize if it takes forever to update because I am actually in the midst of marching band as I write this!  
> Thanks! :)

Marinette took a deep breath as she stood in front of the band room entrance. It was the first day of band camp, meaning the preparation for a new season was about to begin. Today was the day she would walk in and see a whole new variety of faces; ones that replaced the group that had graduated last year. It would be especially weird since this was her second year of marching band, meaning she was no longer the youngest of the bunch. Because of that, she was no longer allowed to be the worst, a feat that would be extremely hard for her. Putting a tentative hand on the door, she opened her way into the new season, and was immediately greeted by an excited Alya. 

 

“Girl, are you _ready_ for this season? Cause I am!” Alya shouted, grabbing Marinette’s arms and jumping up and down. The act almost made Marinette drop her clarinet that hung from her right hand, causing Alya to immediately withdraw from grasping her friend. 

 

“I have a lot of mixed feelings,” Marinette replied. Sure, she was excited to see all her friends again, but she was also worried about the new challenges that stood in her way. She was now a veteran, meaning she had to step up and teach the newcomers. Sure, she was a great class president and leader in school, but when it came to marching band she was a total clutz. People with two left feet were definitely not meant to march. 

 

“Don’t sweat it Marinette, it’s gonna be a fun year,” Alya said, comforting her friend as Nino joined them from behind. 

 

“Yeah dudes!” he shouted, pumping a fist up as he wrapped his other hand around Alya. “I heard the theme this year is gonna be really cool!”

 

“Oh, really?” Marinette responded, curious. For some reason, there was absolutely no word about this year’s theme. Mme. Bustier must have wanted it to be a surprise this year, meaning the theme had to be something interesting. If there was one thing Marinette was definitely looking forward to today, it had to be finding that out. Impatience was not a fun quality when she had to wait an entire year to find out this information. 

 

“God, I’m so excited!” Alya chimed, beginning to jump again as her boyfriend laughed. 

 

“You guys talking about the theme?”

 

The three friends turned towards the new voice that had joined their conversation. It was none other than Adrien, who stood by them with a smug look on his face. “I know what it is, by the way.”

 

“Of course you do,” Alya scoffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms,”You Drum Majors are so privileged.”

 

“I can give you a hint,” Adrien continued, wiggling his eyebrows in a dickish fashion. 

 

“Do I even want to hear it?” Alya asked, knowing that whatever Adrien was about to reveal to them would in no way help them figure out the theme of their show. Meanwhile, Marinette was too busy trying not to freak out in front of her crush that she wasn’t even processing the conversation. 

 

“It’s about someone who’s pretty famous,” Adrien stated, proud of himself for successfully fucking with his friends. Alya and Nino collectively groaned at the vague hint as Marinette thought about possible celebrities that a marching band show would be dedicated to. XY? Hopefully not. Mireille? Of course not, she was in their band! Alec? No, that would be way too weird. Could it possibly be Jagged Stone? Now _that_ would be a cool show! 

 

“Whatever, we’ll find out soon anyway,” Alya said, “I’m going to go greet my newcomers now."

 

After Alya left, Nino also ended up departing to his section, which left Marinette and Adrien alone. “You ready?” Adrien asked, smiling down at his friend who was currently freaking out over being alone with him. 

 

“Yeah, of course!” Marinette lied. “I’m gonna catch up with my section now bye!” she scrambled to say, waving quickly as she scampered over to where the other clarinets were sitting. Adrien blinked a couple of times before shrugging, making his way toward groups of newbies that he could greet. 

 

After spotting Sabrina’s fiery hair, Marinette took another deep breath as she made her way over to the small clarinet circle that had formed near one end of the band room. As she got closer, she noticed two new faces among her section. One was a girl Marinette had never seen before, meaning she was probably a year younger than her. The other was actually a familiar face. 

 

“Marc?” Marinette asked, causing the shy boy to lift his head towards her. “I didn’t know you were doing marching band this year!”

 

“Oh……yeah,” Marc responded quietly. “Nathanaël told me it was super fun, so I figured I would give it a try.”

 

Marinette smiled. It was nice to see a good friend of hers in her section. Not that she hated the others, but the older clarinets tended to intimidate her a little bit. Sabrina was Marinette's age as well, but Chloé always got in the way of them ever possibly becoming close. If Marinette could befriend the new girl as well as keep Marc by her side, maybe this season wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

 

“This is Kitty,” said Claire, who was the oldest of the clarinets. Kitty waved enthusiastically, which Marinette thought was strange for someone who didn’t know anybody in the room. 

 

“Hi, I’m kitty!” Kitty exclaimed, holding an outstretched hand towards Marinette. Her wrist was covered in cheap bracelets and smudged pen ink. Marinette shook her hand with a smile as she examined the rest of Kitty’s attire. A straw hat with scribbled writing all over it sat on top of her head, complete with two pink cat ears that poked out on top of it. Kitty wore a T-Shirt with the phrase,”I don’t bi it,” along with a purple skirt that lay over top black leggings. Marinette decided not to question the newbie’s sense of style, or sense of wanting to burn her ass off in the August sun. 

 

“Marinette,” she responded, letting go of Kitty’s oddly wet hand. 

 

“Sorry, that’s just my lotion” Kitty apologized, rubbing her hands together. She was definitely a character, but Marinette was hoping to get closer to her. Besides, her first year of band left her a huge mess, so there was no way Kitty could possibly be worse. 

 

“Alright, everyone,” chimed Mme. Bustier’s cheery voice,”Now is the time you’ve been waiting for!”

 

Everyone seemed to lean into the suspense as Mme. Bustier smiled. “This year’s theme is going to be…….”

 

The battery section on the other side of the room began to drumroll as everyone whispered amongst themselves. Marinette could see sweat drip down a couple of people’s foreheads, but that could have also been an effect of the lack of air conditioning in the building. 

 

“The Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

 

The entire band immediately erupted, happy squeals filling the room as everyone excitedly talked about this new revelation. Marinette was in absolute awe. A marching band show about her? How incredible was that!

 

“Now now everyone,” Mme. Bustier continued,”I still have more to share.” The crowd quieted down as they listened with anticipation. “If you don’t know Adrien already, he will be your Drum Major for this year.” Adrien waved to everyone and smiled, which made Marinette sigh with admiration. “Adrien will be dressing up as our favorite cat out there, Chat Noir.” A couple of whistles and cheers filled the room as Adrien continued to smile, this time with a more smug expression. “And,” Mme. Bustier added, quieting the room again,”There will be a Ladybug solo. I haven’t decided who will be playing it yet, because I will be holding auditions for it, but I do know that there will be a color guard member dancing by their side, so technically there will be two different soloists."

 

The quiet banter immediately turned into loud discussions about this newly found fact. Marinette however, only sat quietly and frowned. A solo that was basically dedicated to her? If Marinette didn’t perform that, it would be extremely embarrassing. She wasn’t sure if she could live up to that pressure, but if there was any hope at all…..

 

“I am TOTALLY getting that solo,” said a snobby voice from Marinette’s left. There she was, Chloé Burgeois in her,”way too nice for marching band” outfit, already thinking she was the best player in the band. Marinette could see the other three flutes roll their eyes at her, and she swore she heard Kagami mutter,”This is why I prefer Oboe” under her breath. 

 

“Yeah, right,” Claire muttered, crossing her arms in a haughty manner, “Mme. Bustier would never pick her.” Marinette was starting to get angry at the way people were already shit-talking about this solo. Violence was never a value of hers when fighting crime, and to see so many people snarl at eachother about something so silly made her upset. Maybe her duty was to take that solo away from them all, and finally prove that maybe she was a worthy player. 

 

“Now everyone, it is time to officially start band camp! Horn line, please go with M. D’argencourt out on the field to practice marching basics, pit will stay in here with me, and Colorguard will go with Mme. Mendeleiev in front of the school.”

 

Band camp had officially begun. Marinette grabbed her clarinet case along with her bag that held her music folder, her dot book, and of course some water and sunscreen. Sunglasses on, she was ready to go and face the heat of the bright August morning. 

 

“We’re gonna walk to the field now,” Claire said,”I hope you two have all the necessary things for survival, because this camp will fuck you up."

 

Marinette frowned. Claire was a great section leader when it came to business, but her general support always came off as threatening. Making the band experience sound like a hell hole was not what band camp was about. Sure, there definitely was a struggle that came with it, Marinette experienced it first hand last year, but as a veteran, she found it was her duty to guide her newbies to be the best they could be. 

 

“Don’t sweat it, I think you guys will be fine,” Marinette added quietly, earning soft smiles from both newcomers. Marc still looked a bit nervous as they traveled to the field, and oddly, so did Kitty. Hopefully Marinette could encourage them enough to become comfortable in their new setting. 

 

After a walk that seemed to last forever, the hornline had arrived at the stadium of Collège Françoise-Dupont, dropping their bags with tired huffs as they prepared themselves for the long day. Marinette watched as Adrien walked around the benches, smiling and waving at everyone like his normal cheery self. When he eventually got to her, he added a small,”Hey, Marinette,” to his wave before giving her a small wink. Marinette nearly died after he left. 

 

“Alright everyone,” M. D’argencourt spoke,”Chop chop, we don’t have any time to lose!”

 

Everyone began stretching around the track as D’argencourt continued to rush them, causing the poor newcomers to freak out. Soon after everyone began running, with Marc and Kitty not noticing. “Guys, let’s go!” Claire demanded, confusing both of them. Marinette beckoned them with a reassuring smile before beginning her own run. As the two newbies caught up to her, Marinette decided to strike a conversation with them.

 

“You guys excited?” Marinette asked, looking towards the two to see how they were doing. 

 

“I guess….” Marc responded, looking down at his feet as he struggled to run. Kitty was also slacking behind a bit, but Marinette didn’t mind slowing down for them. 

 

“I know it can be pretty intimidating at the beginning, but trust me, it’s worth it” Marinette continued, smiling at the two in order to reassure them. That was the only bit of conversation she was able to get out unfortunately, for Kitty and Marc remained quiet throughout the rest of the run. 

 

Once they finally returned to the benches, the three immediately chugged down their water along with the other bandmates who were catching their breaths. “Where did Kitty go?” Marinette asked, looking around for the oddly dressed blonde. Her question was quickly answered when she saw Kitty sitting in the grass, an unidentified object clutched in her hands. Concerned, Marinette ran toward the girl and sat down next to her, only to find out that she was just using her inhaler. 

 

“It’s just an asthma attack, I’ll be alright,” Kitty stated. Marinette blinked in shock. An asthmatic in marching band? How convenient. 

 

“Alright everyone, up we go!” D’argencourt shouted, receiving groans from the crowd of students who begged for more break time. Getting her instrument out, Marinette waited for her new companions to stand up before they walked over to the field. 

 

“We’re going to set up a block,” Marinette said, “So we’ll tell you where to stand and-“

 

“Okay, this is how we’re gonna do this,” Claire began, causing a small sigh to escape from Marinette. “Since we have four veterans and two newcomers, we need two rows of three, with a newcomer in the middle and two veterans on either side of them.”

 

“Like that,” Marinette finished, feeling bad after the sudden demand. Claire began talking to Jacqueline, the other older clarinet, about the placements. Marc stood awkwardly as they did so, while Kitty bit her lip as if she wanted to say something. 

 

“Alright,” Claire continued,”Jacqueline and I will take Kitty since she’s younger, while Marinette and Sabrina take Marc in the back, sound good?”

 

As annoyed as she was, Marinette quietly nodded as she got into place. Marc stood to the left of her, shifting nervously as D’argencourt barked orders at the other players. 

 

“Get into your positions!” he yelled, startling the group into their respective statures. Marinette gently moved Marc’s arms into the right angles to hold his clarinet. Giving him a small smile, she could see that he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable.

 

“Your feet have to be at precisely a 45 degree angle,” Sabrina pointed out, looking down at Marc’s feet. “Also, your posture needs to be more straight.” Marinette rolled her eyes at Sabrina’s unnecessary attitude, but talked Marc through it calmly in order to help him. She wished she could help poor Kitty who was being ordered by Claire, but she seemed to be doing okay despite the condescending atmosphere that surrounded her. 

 

“Now we will begin moving forward,” D’argencourt spoke. 

 

“Ready?” Marinette asked, looking at Marc’s petrified face. She could visibly see him gulp, but continued to smile anyway in order to keep him calm. 

 

“We will move for 8 counts!” D’argencourt continued. Marinette remembered being a newcomer last year and freaking out over how fast he went. Now, listening to him was oddly a breeze. Marinette couldn’t fathom what Marc was feeling however. His face told her that he was in hell. The sound of the gock block sent Marinette out of her thoughts as Marc tensed up. She gave him a small wink before they began moving forward. 

 

The first time Marinette marched this year compared to last year’s was amazingly different. Of course she ended up stumbling a little on her way, but it was much better than falling on her face. Once the counts were finished, Marinette looked over to see if Marc was okay, only to find that he was way behind her. Raising an eyebrow, she beckoned for him to move forward so he could catch up with her. As Marc ventured over slowly, Marinette caught a small glimpse of Nathanaël chuckling behind him. At least Marc had some good friend surrounding him while he figured things out. 

 

“It’s okay Marc, you just have to have confidence,” Marinette said encouragingly. Marc’s terrified stare turned into a shy smile after her kind words, but was quickly changed again when Sabrina spoke. 

 

“The line right here is where you’re supposed to land,” she said, pointing to the line as if Marc was a blind idiot. 

 

“I think he knows that,” Marinette replied with an annoyed tone, putting a reassuring hand on Marc’s shoulder. Marc blushed a little and muttered a small,”Sorry” as Marinette shook her head. “Don’t be,” she responded. 

 

“Alright! Now we will move backwards!” D’argencourt shouted. Marinette swore she could see Marc’s face lose color as the block sounded again. She frowned as they began moving, looking out of the corner of her eye to check on Marc. The terrified boy barely moved at all, which caused an unsuspecting Kitty to bump into him. Both fell to the ground as the rest of the band finished marching, with everyone looking at them disapprovingly.

 

“You have to actually move, you know,” Sabrina stated, her voice a little more harsh than usual. 

 

“S-Sorry," Marc stammered, quickly getting up and moving back next to Marinette. Kitty was helped up by Jacqueline as Claire began yelling at Marc. 

 

“You can’t just do that, you have to move!” she shouted, causing Marc to cower a bit. “That’s what happens when you don’t push back far enough, I don’t care how insecure you are about it, just move!” 

 

Marinette rolled her eyes at Claire’s comments. She wanted so bad to lash out at her, but she knew it was inappropriate to do so at someone who had 2 more years of experience than she did. “It’s okay Marc, just try taking bigger steps next time,” Marinette calmly said, comforting Marc a little bit. He nodded quietly and took in a breath before getting back into position. Hopefully we was starting to become more confident in himself, but Marinette knew it would take a while to get him to his full potential. 

 

After what seemed like forever of marching back and forth, the hornlike was finally granted a water break. The thirsty students ran like jaguars towards the benches, with Marinette on Marc and Kitty’s trail.

 

 “How are you holding up?” Marinette asked Kitty, who had a blank expression on her face. 

 

“I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing,” Kitty replied, her big blue eyes widened with fear. Marinette frowned, but Kitty deserved the same encouragement that Marc had received earlier. 

 

“You’ll get it eventually,” Marinette continued as the group sat down,”It’s all just part of practice. Trust me, last year I was worse than you guys. I fell on my face like, at least twice a day.”

 

Marc and Kitty chuckled a bit, which meant Marinette had done her job of making them feel better. 

 

“Yeah, Marinette was probably the worst newcomer I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something” Claire chimed in, causing Marinette to frown in response. Why did she always have to ruin the good moments?

 

“I don’t like her,” Kitty whispered. 

 

Marc nodded along with Kitty. “She scares me.”

 

At least the two newbies agreed that Claire was not a very nice section leader. Jacqueline was good friends with Claire for some odd reason (maybe she was nicer outside of band?), and Sabrina practically idolized her. Marinette never understood Sabrina’s desire to copy the leadership qualities of someone so rude, but then again, she was friends with Chloé. 

 

“Well well well,” said a snobby voice from above. Marinette looked up to see none other than Chloé Bourgeois, who had her arms crossed in a bratty manner. “I see that Mariwreck is trying to teach her newbies how to suck at marching band!” 

 

“Chloé, I don’t have time for your BS…..” Marinette replied, already getting frustrated with the annoying blonde. 

 

“And I don’t think Marco and cat girl have time for your horrible advice either!” 

 

“First of all, it’s Marc and Kitty,” Marinette began, standing up to Chloé’s level,”And secondly, I’ve actually been making them feel much more welcome than you ever could. 

 

“Oh, really? How many times have you fallen today?” Chloé remarked, snickering a little bit. 

 

“Actually, she hasn’t fallen once,” Claire joined from behind. “Trust me, I was surprised, but Marinette has improved since last year,” she continued,”But it seems like your attitude hasn’t.”

 

Marinette was shocked. Claire was actually standing up for her, and said that she improved since last year? Well that was a first. 

 

“Hmph!” Chloé huffed, storming to her section who began mourning over the 2 minutes they were blessed without having to listen to her. 

 

“That’s Chloé,” Marinette began, her face deadpanned, “Just get used to her.”

 

“Break’s over everyone!” D’argencourt shouted, followed by a bunch of sighs and groans from the band. Marinette waited for Kitty and Marc to get up before they walked back onto the field, ready for the rest of the day to hit them. 

 

————————————————————————————————————————— 

 

When lunchtime hit, Marinette could feel the weight lift off of her shoulders. She chatted with Marc and Kitty on the way back to the school, eager to eat what her parents had packed for her in the morning. 

 

“You guys can eat with me,” Marinette offered, not wanting to leaver her newbies alone. 

 

“Actually, Nathanaël invited me, if that’s okay.” 

 

“Oh, sure!” Marinette responded,”What about you, Kitty?”

 

“Okie dokie,” Kitty replied, a small skip forming in her step. 

 

As soon as Marinette entered the school building, she sighed into the cool breeze produced by a bunch of fans spinning in the doorway. She could hear Marc and Kitty do the same as they followed her in, finally free of the blazing hot sun outside. 

 

“Follow me,” Marinette beckoned, grabbing her lunch bag as Kitty trailed behind her. Marinette walked to the spot she had lunch at last year, waving at Alya who was already sitting down eating her food.  

 

“Hey girl!” Alya waved back,”Who’s this?”

 

“This is Kitty,” Marinette replied, putting a hand on Kitty’s shoulder. “Kitty, this is my friend Alya.”

 

Kitty and Alya both waved at eachother as Nino arrived, placing his bag next to Alya’s as he sat down. “Yo dudes,” he greeted, wrapping an arm around Alya’s shoulders. “You’re the new clarinet chick, right?” he asked, turning his attention towards Kitty. 

 

“Yeah,” Kitty replied, sitting awkwardly next to Marinette. The blonde grabbed her phone from her bag and began scrolling through something. Marinette was expecting a little more conversation from the girl, but she didn’t want to push her too quickly into socializing. Maybe she just needed some time to adjust to the new setting. 

 

Soon after Alya and Nino began talking to eachother, Adrien had finally arrived, along with another person by his side. Marinette stopped herself from glaring as Adrien sat down with the group. 

 

“And you NEED to see their performance at finals, it was incredible!” exclaimed the girl that Adrien had brought with her. It was Ella, a trumpet player who was a year older than her. Marinette didn’t mind Ella as a person, but her relationship with Adrien got on her nerves. Maybe it was because she was jealous of their friendship, but Marinette disliked seeing them together nonetheless. 

 

“Oh, really? I’ll be sure to watch it later today then.” 

 

“You better!”

 

Marinette stared at the two with an unamused look on her face as Alya and Nino continued their own conversation. With Kitty on her phone and all the others talking amongst themselves, Marinette was beginning to get quite bored. 

 

“So what do you guys think of this year’s show?” Marinette asked, trying to start a new topic that she could be involved in. 

 

“I love it!” Ella began,”I LOVE Ladybug and Chat Noir!” 

 

Marinette only nodded. Ella was definitely not the one she intended her question for, but she wasn’t going to let her petty feelings for the girl show. Marinette swore she saw Adrien smirk as Ella gushed about the show some more, but she decided to throw out that thought. Adrien couldn’t have feelings for Ella, right? 

 

“Girl, I’ve been actually freaking out the entire day,” Alya added, earning a chuckle from Nino. Marinette’s usual smile finally returned as she replied. 

 

“I know, right? I think this is gonna be a great year!” 

 

“I agree,” Nino said. 

 

Marinette waited for a response from Adrien, but he had already started a new topic with Ella. This was starting to get really irritating. 

 

“So, who do you think is going to get the Ladybug solo?” Alya asked, a wicked gleam in her eye. 

 

“I have no idea,” Marinette answered,”But I sure hope it’s not Chloé.”

 

“It’s not gonna be Chloé,” Alya assured,”I’m sure of that.”

 

“Dude, if it was Chloé I would fucking quit the band,” Nino added. 

 

The three laughed a bit before talking more about the show and the newbies in each section. Marinette wanted so badly to include Kitty, but the newcomer still had her eyes locked on her phone, occasionally laughing at who knows what. _Kitty and Alya would make great friends_ , she thought. 

 

“I’m gonna go back into the band room if that’s good with you guys,” Ella stated. Marinette had to hold herself back from cheering with joy as Ella stood up and waved before disappearing amongst the others eating their lunches. 

 

“So what’s up with you guys?” Adrien asked, speaking to his other friends for the first time. 

 

“We were just talking about the show and such,” Nino replied. He didn’t seem very amused about Adrien’s new friend either, which made Marinette feel less bad about antagonizing her. 

 

“Oh, cool!” Adrien said, an oblivious smile on his face. “I can’t wait to see who my Ladybug is this year.”

 

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat. 

 

“I think it should be Marinette,” Alya suggested. 

 

“Wh-What!?” Marinette exclaimed, her eyes wide as her mouth gaped open. 

 

“Yeah! You definitely have the personality for it,” Alya continued. 

 

“Yeah, but I kind of need talent in order to play a solo,” Marinette stated. 

 

“I think you have talent,” Adrien said, causing Marinette to stare at him. He was very wrong, but she wasn’t going to deny the compliment. 

 

“Uh, thanks Adrien,” Marinette began,”But I get way too nervous in front of people to audition for something like this….”

 

“Just practice girl,” Alya advised,”Practice until you don’t even need to think about it to play it.”

 

“Yeah, you could totally beat Chloé and Claire if you tried,” Nino added. 

 

Marinette frowned. She wasn’t horrible at clarinet, but compared to Claire who was an actual god at the instrument, Marinette was nothing. Chloé was also a huge competitor when it came to things like this. Chloé was a good player, and she always came into auditions with the biggest ego there was, which gave her enough confidence to completely brush through it without any mistakes. 

 

“I believe in you,” Adrien said, resting a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. Marinette blushed at the sudden touch, and thought about her friend’s encouraging words. If she could win that solo, it would be a huge opportunity for her. 

 

“Please don’t let Claire get it,” Kitty pleaded, her face in an unamused glare. Marinette laughed a little at the blonde’s only comment of the lunch period before they were called back to practice. 

 

The band roomed filled up with students as the hornline entered, ready to finally receive their music for the year. Mme. Bustier handed out the sheet music to each section leader, who then passed it down to the other members of their section. 

 

“We’re doing two on first part and four on second part this year,” Claire stated, passing the paper down the line to where Kitty stood. Marinette secretly wanted to be first clarinet since she was now a veteran, but second part would have to do for now. Besides, she could help Marc and Kitty better this way since they had the same part. 

 

Marinette looked at the music. The show started off with a long rest for her, which she assumed was supposed to be the solo. The tempo was also marked pretty slow, but sped up at about halfway through part one. Marinette could feel the butterflies take off in her stomach. She was super excited for this show, especially since it was basically dedicated to her. 

 

“Okay everyone, let’s start some breathing exercises!” Adrien announced, causing all the attention to turn on him. Marinette sighed a little at how gorgeous he looked in the front, smiling down at the band as he guided them through different breathing procedures. She swooned each time he explained the next one, his soft golden voice echoing through the room. 

 

“Marinette, you look like you’re about to fall,” Claire said, snapping Marinette out of her trance. Claire was right, she was leaning way too far to the right, and knowing how clumsy she could be, she was apt to fall over. 

 

“Oh, thanks ahaha,” Marinette replied, standing back up straight. Marc gave her a knowing smile as they finished breathing. Marinette hoped she wasn’t making it too obvious in front of everyone that she had the hots for the Drum Major, but it seemed like she was already failing. 

 

“Alright everyone, we will begin with whole-note scales,” Bustier continued, pointing towards Adrien who had his hands positioned to begin conducting. “Be sure to watch Adrien as you play!”

 

“Oh, for sure,” Marinette whispered dreamily as she slowly brought her clarinet up. Warm-ups were a breeze now that she had them down and memorized. For Kitty and Marc however, things were a little different. There didn’t seem to be a single exercise that didn’t include a squeak or a wrong note. Marinette cringed at each offense, but she couldn’t blame the poor newcomers. 

 

“We are definitely working these in sectionals,” Claire stated, giving Marc and Kitty a disapproving look. Marc frowned at the ground as Kitty rolled her eyes, looking at the music to distract from Claire’s passive aggressive insults. 

 

“Let’s move on to the show music, shall we?” Bustier said, the room filling with excitement. Scrambled noises could be heard as musicians from all sections began running through their parts. Marinette heard Kitty attempting to play the tricky rhythms that repeated throughout the piece, and Marc just stood there and stared at his music.

 

“You alright?” Marinette asked, nudging Marc a bit. She was pretty sure she heard him gulp. 

 

“It’s so hard,” he said quietly, his face pale. 

 

“Set!” Adrien shouted from the front, causing the band to move into attention. Marinette began focusing on the music now, setting aside the two struggling clarinetists beside her. Adrien began conducting the music, which he did beautifully, and everyone stood awkwardly for the duration of the Ladybug solo. Marinette imagined herself playing during the silence, sending her beautiful sound waves to Adrien as he smiled down at her. The chemistry she created inside her head was real, and Adrien blew her a kiss after she finished her last note. Unfortunately, the vision was ruined by the loud sound of the full band entering in. Marinette jumped a little as she joined them, pretending that her silly mistake never happened. 

 

Marinette had to say, she had improved her playing a lot since last year. She could feel the rhythms beating in her heart as her fingers played through the notes smoothly. For the first time in a while since playing clarinet, Marinette enjoyed it. 

 

“Nice sight reading everyone,” Mme. Bustier chimed. Marinette looked over at Marc and Kitty and gave them an encouraging thumbs up. As Bustier went over to the brass to fix some things, Claire walked over to the newcomers and began writing on their music. 

 

“What are you doing?” Marinette asked. 

 

“I’m writing in dynamics for them so they can play them next time,” Claire replied. 

 

“Shouldn’t we ask Mme. Bustier first?” Marinette asked, perplexed. 

 

“It’s better to have it down first,” Claire stated before returning back to her spot. Marinette raised an eyebrow before turning back to Marc and Kitty, who were as confused as she was. 

 

“Don’t listen to her,” Marinette whispered, annoyed. Kitty nodded in response as Mme. Bustier called everyone to play through the movement again. 

 

After multiple fixes and run-throughs, the band was dismissed into sectionals. “This way, clarinets!” Claire called, walking out of the band room. The others began following her as Marinette lead Marc and Kitty down the same path. The clarinets had chosen a nice, colder room that was closed off from the other sections. Marinette liked the little clarinet area that was deemed their sectional room, and happily made her way towards the little corner that she always practiced in last year. 

 

“Big circle in the middle!” Claire shouted, causing a small groan to escape Marinette’s mouth. She reluctantly moved her stand to the middle of the room and placed it next to Marc’s in the circle that had begun to form. “We’re going over warm-ups now, since you all sucked during practice.”

 

It was only the first day of band camp and Marinette was already about to explode into a fit of rage in front of Claire. It was one thing when she was the scared newcomer, because back then she was too busy worrying about not fucking up than to pay attention to Claire’s harsh words. But now that she was seeing Claire’s “leadership” from another perspective, she could clearly see the effect that Claire had on Marc and Kitty. Whenever one of them made even the smallest mistake, Claire would tear them down like they had blatantly insulted her. Marc was constantly cowering into himself the entire time, and Kitty was beginning to get really irritated. Seeing them become so insecure about their playing made Marinette even angrier, for she believed that the two needed softer encouragement in order to gain confidence in themselves. 

 

Once sectionals had ended, Marinette decided that she couldn’t take it anymore. She slowly approached Claire and said,”Hey Claire, don’t you think you’re taking things a little too far?”

 

“What do you mean?” Claire asked, turning around to face Marinette. Marinette had to admit, Claire still intimidated her a little bit. 

 

“I just think you’re being a little too harsh with the newcomers, that’s all,” Marinette responded.

 

Claire blinked. Marinette was sure she saw Claire think about her last statement a bit before replying. 

 

“I do the things the way I want to for a reason,” Claire began,”It’s the only way they’ll learn faster.”

 

“They’re not learning Claire, they’re terrified!” Marinette exclaimed, gesturing towards Marc who was staring at them from outside the door. 

 

“Look Marinette,” Claire started,”I’m the section leader, okay? You can dislike my methods as much as you want, but I’m doing what’s best for all of us.”

 

Marinette sighed as Claire left, not even considering what she had told her. Looking over at Marc, she began walking out the door. 

 

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” Marinette said, looking at the ground as she made her way back to the band room. 

 

“It’s okay, I know I suck,” Marc replied, also looking down. 

 

Marinette looked back up to face him. “No you don’t!” she began,”You just need to get used to it, is all!”

 

“Okay but did you hear me?” Kitty joined, her face wrinkled in disgust,”I am the worst clarinet player there is.”

 

“That can’t be true,” Marinette said. 

 

“Oh it’s true,” Kitty continued,”I don’t even know how I’m in the wind ensemble.”

 

Marinette blinked. “If you’re in wind ensemble, then you must be good!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “You’re already better than I was your age, last year I wasn’t even in any of the honors bands.” 

 

“We were next to eachother,” Marc added, smiling a bit at the memory. Marinette smiled in return; they were first and second chair of the concert band last year. She remembered meeting him on the day they received their chair placements. Marc was a bit nervous at first, but the two easily started a conversation that soon turned into a nice friendship. Hopefully Marinette could get as close to Kitty as she was to Marc. 

 

Once they were in the band room, Adrien was getting ready to dismiss everyone. Marinette kept her newcomers close as the band shouted with joy that their first day of band camp was finally over. After packing up all of her things, Marinette waved at Marc and Kitty before walking out the door. She was sweaty and tired, but that was definitely not the worst day that could have possibly occurred. Marinette smiled as she began her short walk home. Maybe this season really was going to be fun. 

 


End file.
